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Chef Spotlight: Derek Baziotis

A Goodwin Group member has gone on to something great! Check out the awesome new venture in this Chef Spotlight from the Spokesman Review.

“Derek Baziotis grew up in the restaurant industry and has been cooking professionally since 2006. He got his start at his parents’ breakfast joint and now owns Bene’s, in Cheney, with his wife, Alexx.

What’s your favorite dish to cook at home? Steak.

Where do you eat when you eat out? Love switching it up! Nowhere in particular.

Who or what inspired you to become a chef, and how? The people who have inspired me are my father and mother, who own Kalico Kitchen. Working there and learning and having that experience at a young age is something that I think gives me a huge advantage. Chef Bill Allen influenced me and instilled in me the basic foundation of how to run a kitchen. Chef Justin O’Niell at the Boiler Room has taught and inspired me a lot, and owner Matt Goodwin really took me under his wing and showed me the ins and outs of the restaurant business.

What are your go-to ingredients? Spices from Spiceology.

What was the first dish a customer ever sent back to you, and how did you handle it? Well, I was a culinary specialist in the U.S. Navy, and I wouldn’t necessarily call them customers, but I would always handle food that came back with the attitude that the customer is always right. If they think it’s overcooked, undercooked, too salty or too bland then that is how they taste it and we fix it for them right way…”

Meet Your Chef Feature from the Inlander

Check out an awesome little feature in the Inlander about Matt – “Meet Your Chef”. While it’s not what we set out to do, it’s always nice to get a little recognition!

“While in school to become a teacher, Matt Goodwin decided he didn’t want to continue with his degree.

In 2000, Goodwin found a job bartending at Fast Eddie’s Bar and Grill. Rather than return to school, he has since become an important player in the Spokane dining scene.

“Once I found someone willing to open a restaurant with me — and my first was Pub Club — one turned into two and two suddenly turned into three.”

Currently, Goodwin co-owns Fast Eddie’s Bar and Grill, Press, the Boiler Room, Volstead Act and the Backyard Public House. He has plans to open Remedy — a neighborhood gastropub with a 1920s pharmacy theme — in March or April.

The eclectic pub menu at Remedy will feature clams, wraps, salads and upscale sandwiches with what Goodwin describes as a “foodie twist.” Every item listed on the menu will be cooked in a wood-fired oven.

Goodwin believes that the casual dining scene in Spokane has changed tremendously since he’s been a part of it, and the competition level especially has elevated.

“Each year Inland Business Catalyst asks our readership to submit nominations for 20 Under 40, a celebration of rising stars in our region who embody an entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and excellence in their chosen industry, and demonstrate a commitment to giving back to the community, as well. This year the winners were selected from an outstanding body of 90 nominees through a review of vetted area professionals and 20 Under 40 Hall of Famers.”

Our very own Matt Goodwin made the list! Check out some life advice from him and others in this Bozzi Media article.

Young Restaurateurs

Check out this little feature! Bringing some life to Spokane as Young Restaurateurs…

“With six years of college, four different majors, and no degree earned, Matt Goodwin still had no idea what he wanted to do for a living as he started bartending at Fast Eddie’s Bar & Grill in 2000.

“I applied at Tomato Street and Fast Eddie’s, and they hired me first,” Goodwin says. “My first shift was the day I got hired. The first Long Iced Tea I made was blue.” The alcoholic drink gets its nickname because of its resemblance of taste and color to actual iced tea. There’s nothing blue about it, Goodwin says.

Despite that drink buyer’s objections, Goodwin, now 38 and one of those nominated for inclusion in the Journal’s Rising Stars special section, immediately fell in love with bartending.

Today, he owns and co-owns a total of seven different Spokane-area restaurants and taverns, and those businesses employ a total of about 120 employees, he says. He co-owns Fast Eddie’s Bar & Grill downtown, at 1 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., and Press, at 909 S. Grand Blvd. on the South Hill, together with business partner Jeremy Tangen.

Goodwin also owns the Volstead Act at 12 N. Post St. in downtown Spokane, the Backyard Public House at 1881 W. Broadway, and The Boiler Room at 6501 N. Cedar, in North Spokane. He says he also owns two Spokane-area Papa John’s pizza restaurants. Goodwin has been on a good run since he and Tangen opened Press in January 2009.

Goodwin’s businesses are part of Goodwin Group, Inc., with each establishment being its own LLC, he says. Even the MarQuee Lounge Goodwin and Tangen once operated at 522 W. Riverside downtown enjoyed a five-year run before they shut the nightclub down.

‘I don’t want anything to do with that anymore,” Goodwin says of the nightclub business. “You basically have nine hours a week to make money; Thursday through Saturday from 10 at night to 1 in the morning.'”